Roast lamb meatballs in a creamy porcini sauce
Serves: 4-5
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Stuart West
Roast lamb meatballs in a creamy porcini sauce
The perfect autumnal recipe from head chef of The Abbey Inn, Charlie Smith. Serve with toasted sourdough
Serves: 4-5
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
882Kcal
Fat
72gr
Saturates
40gr
Carbs
20gr
Sugars
12gr
Fibre
4gr
Protein
29gr
Salt
1.8gr
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 500g minced lamb (we used 10% fat)
- 60g prunes, finely chopped
- 40g breadcrumbs - use gluten-free if required
- 1 small onion, very finely chopped
- 1 tbsp crushed garlic (about 8 cloves)
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp ground mace or nutmeg
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
For the sauce
- 15g dried porcini, snipped with scissors
- 400ml hot lamb stock, made using 1⁄2 stock pot or cube - use gluten-free if required
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 200g chestnut mushrooms, halved
- 150ml white wine
- 1 bouquet garni (bay, parsley, thyme, and celery)
- 400ml double cream
To serve
- chopped parsley
- toasted sourdough
- dressed bitter salad leaves
Step by step
Waste not
Whenever you have a bit of bread going stale, whiz it into crumbs and add to a lidded tub in the freezer. Use straight from the freezer for gratin toppings, stuffings, coating fish cakes or escalopes or frying with garlic to make ‘poor man’s Parmesan’ to sprinkle on pasta or soup
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients (except for the oil), using your hands to mix them thoroughly. Roughly separate the mixture into around 20 golf ball-size meatballs.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and brown the meatballs until golden (in batches if necessary), about 6 to 8 minutes. Divide amongst individual baking dishes, or transfer to one large baking dish.
- Soak the porcini in the hot lamb stock while you start making the sauce. Heat the oil in the same pan as before then gently cook the onion, garlic and mushrooms for about 5 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6.
- Increase the heat under the pan and continue cooking until the ingredients begin to caramelise, then add the white wine and the bouquet garni. Allow the wine to bubble and reduce for about 2 minutes. Tip in the porcini and lamb stock and let the liquid reduce for a further 5 minutes. Add the cream and stir vigorously to fully incorporate. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and bake for 20-30 minutes until golden and bubbling.
- Scatter with the parsley and serve with toasted sourdough for dipping, and salad leaves tossed with a sharp mustardy dressing to cut through the richness.
